The Bedel
The Bedel people live on Surebleak and elsewhere. They appear in Necessity's Child, Dragon in Exile,'' Neogenesis,'' and the short story Eleutherious. See The Books (and other stories) Descriptions *"The Bedel is a Kompani."Necessity's Child, ch 26 *"A Kompani is Bedel on Chafurma." *Chafurma is the Gathering Time." *They are a tight-knit group of "brothers" and "sisters" (not necessarily blood-related) living in the lower levels of the abandoned Gilmour Agency warehouses on SurebleakNecessity's Child, ch 27 **"How if we say to Boss Conrad that we the Bedel have established tenancy, and the buildings are ours?"Necessity's Child, chapter 22"The Bosses have given us the place"Dragon in Exile, ch 12 *They were set down on Surebleak in a bad time when Gilmour Agency had just withdrawn. The conditions grew worse and the ship (presumably the ship that brought them) would not risk itself. Now the ship could not be secret. *Young Kezzi asked Syl Vor if he could find their ship: "If you had the silhouette of a particular ship, that — that had become lost, could you find it?" *The true reasons behind this are only hinted at: “Luthia and the Headman well know the “why” of this particular Chafurma, this Kompani of Bedel. Set down of all possible planets, on this one, this Surebleak.” “Luthia has memories of those who have felt their lack. And of those who had made the decision not to return for them.” *Their usual way of life seems to be less sedentary: “In truth, we were made to wander and wander, that we will”''Necessity's Child'', ch 4 Dream Learning *Learning machines (tiles, fractins) based on defanged Old Tech "It is an immersion protocol; it is how the Bedel learn from the past, or from another's unique experience; We say, 'I will dream on it,' when we wish to learn; thus, the means of learning becomes a 'dream', in the language."Dragon in Exile, ch 6 "Silain had never seen a sea in her waking mind, but a long lifetime of dreaming had opened such things to her knowledge. Such things, too, as the memories, not of those for whom chafurma had never ended, but of those who had felt their lack." *When Val Con yos'Phelium used the learning machine at Silain's hearth, she "bent over him, a crown of flexible golden mesh between her hands, and settled it upon his head"Dragon in Exile, chapter 7 * Rys compared his "dream / nightmare" of The Department of the Interior's subversion experience to a piloting sim.Dragon in exile chapter 7 *Droi of the Bedel will dream, searching for historical markers relevant to the Surebleak Culture Study. Her luthia Silain said, "We, the kompani, hold dreams from an earlier time which might help them."Dragon in Exile, chapter 30 *Kezzi dreamed of a pen...green, red, black, blue...Necessity's Child, chapter 6 which she then saw at school and stole from Syl Vor yos'Galan, which led her to become his foster sisterNecessity's Child, chapter 21 High-Tech Tinkering *"The Bedel can make anything. Is is possible that a brother saw an Old Tech learner and said to himself, 'I can build that — I will build that! But I will pull its teeth, and win its heart, and make it a part of the kompani, so it will never seek to harm us." *Pulka designed Rys' leg brace and artificial hand *Rafin built the leg brace and golden hand, Necessity's Child, ch 30 Social Structure *The elders of the kompani are the headman, who looks for the well-being of the kompani, and the luthia, who looks for the well-being of the individuals that make it up. *The individual members are not necessarily siblings, but they refer to each other as sister, brother... Members of the Kompani on Surebleak *Alosha (m) Headman of The Bedel''Necessity's Child'', ch 1 *Dmitri (m) Necessity's Child, ch 22 dies during Necessity's ChildNecessity's Child, ch 31 *Droi (f) cat green eyes, has the true Sight''Necessity's Child'', ch 18, the Luthia's former apprentice, seduced Rys to get his child in order to even out the number of Bedel left in unbalance by Dmitri's death **The Luthia invited her to help Lady Kareen yos'Phelium with the Surebleak Culture Study via Bedel dreamsDragon in Exile, chapter 30 *Gahn (?) Necessity's Child, ch 8 *Isart (m) halfling age, lanky, black hair, black eyes Street name: Walter''Accepting the Lance'', ch 39 "The Port Road - Yulie Shaper's Place" Helps Yulie Shaper with his crops.Neogenesis, ch 8 "Surebleak"Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Jin (f) "the luthia's good right hand"Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Kar (?) *Kezzi (f) (street name Anna Brown, Wentworth' Turf)Necessity's Child, ch 19 "Sister" of Syl VorNecessity's Child ch 21, black eyes and black hair, apprentice of Silain-luthia *Luma (f) daughter of Dmitri chosen by Droi to be Maysl's foster-mother''Necessity's Child'', ch 31''Accepting the Lance'', ch 9 "The Bedel" *Maysl (f) daughter of Rys and Droi''Accepting the Lance'', ch 70 "Surebleak - The Bedel" *Memit (f) blade thin, big hands''Necessity's Child'', ch 17, in charge of the garden. Street-name is Mary''Accepting the Lance'', ch 39 "The Port Road - Yulie Shaper's Place" (Neogenesis) Helps Yulie Shaper with his crops.Neogenesis, ch 8 "Surebleak"Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Pulka (m) bald and plump, moustache, designed Rys' leg brace and artificial hand "listens along the byways of the stars" for messages from the ship''Accepting the Lance'', ch 9 "The Bedel" "A placid man, who liked his comforts; who could, occasionally, be nagged into brilliance."Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Rafin (m) Artificer, "Brother" of Rys Lin, tall, sharp cheekbones, strong brow, lean dark face, blue eyes, prominent hooked nose, built Rys' leg brace''Necessity's Child'', ch 30 and artificial hand. Rafin's father was a man from the City Above.Accepting the Lance, ch 27 "The Bedel" *Riva (f) killed by a gadje because she muddled the meaning of the cards''Necessity's Child'', ch 12 *Rys (m), formerly Rys Lin pen'Chala *Silain (f), Luthia, Grandmother of all Bedel, long silver hair *Syaera (f), street name: Abigail,Accepting the Lance, ch 39 "The Port Road - Yulie Shaper's Place" helps Yulie Shaper with his crops.Neogenesis, ch 8 "Surebleak"Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Torv (m) tall and lanky, is often among those Outside because his given-work is to repair what had not been built by Bedel hands and to listen and to watch *Udari (m) long face, bold nose, dark eyes, "Brother" of Rys (found him dying and brought him to Silain''Necessity's Child'', ch 7), street name: Nathan, Helps Yulie Shaper with his crops.Neogenesis, ch 8 "Surebleak"Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" *Ves (?) *Vylet (f) sister to Kezzi, gives her the pack of stiff paper Kezzi uses for her own deck of cards *Zand (m) Vylet's swwetheart Origins *Origins are shrouded in mystery. The chapter book Eleutherious features another group of Bedel people, but origins are still unclear Eleutherious, in Liaden Universe Constellation volume 3 *The Uncle sheds murky light on the origins of the Bedel on Surebleak. “I set them in motion!” he snapped. (meaning unclear)Neogenesis, chapter 20, part 2 *Uncle may be related to the Bedel on Surebleak. He may be their kin, but if so, the relationship appears to be distant: **The Uncle asks Tassi (Seignur Veeoni) “Who is Silain?” Neogenesis, chapter 20, part 2 **Tassi (Seignur Veeoni) says to Uncle “My first plan had been to take shelter with your people. There is a Kompani here in this city.” Pets *Malda (m) dog, belongs to Kezzi , black and tan, pointed nose, skinny tail, street name: Rascal Bedel Words and Concepts * Affirmation “An Affirmations was three days of singing, tale-telling, eating and dance. A time for the Bedel to recall what it meant to be of the Kompani, and to forget the ways and workings of the Gadje – those others – among whom they lived, but were apart.” * chafurma: The "gathering time".Necessity's Child, ch 25 The activity in which the kompani are engaged in Necessity's Child, and which is nearing its end for the different kompani in "Eleutherios". A kompani on chafurma must maintain fixed numbers, with members' deaths balanced by births (or, in need and at the risk of diluting the group identity, adoption of a suitable gadje). Necessity's Child, ch 22 * fleez: A performance of telling the future by the turn of a card, done for gadje in return for money. The design of the card deck - the number of cards, the design and meaning of each - is set by tradition, if only to lend verisimilitude. Each performer uses a deck of her own making.Necessity's Child, ch 34 * gadje: "Those Others". People who are not Bedel, to whom nothing is owed. * garda: Police, officers of law-enforcement. * kompani: A group of people banded together to a common purpose; in particular a group of Bedel on chafurma. Other groups thus distinguished by the Bedel on Surebleak include Korval''Necessity's Child'', ch 1 and the kompani of Bosses Necessity's Child, ch 4 * luthia: She who is the grandmother of all the kompani. A healer, a keeper of knowledge. * vey: Possessing that quality which the Liadens call dramliz. Cards Cards used in the fleez * The Burning House: "Change, and good fortune." A tall house standing in a garden, flowers round its base, with a lightning bolt blowing off the roof and setting it alight. * The Double Moons: "Good dinner and a dry place to sleep." Necessity's Child, ch 11 * The Headman''Necessity's Child'', ch 12 * The Lantern: "Today, you seek." ("Will I find what I seek?" "That depends on you.")Necessity's Child, ch 17 Prayer / Lore * The very first prayer a child of the Bedel is taught: “Let the Road be easy, let the gleanings be good, let there be brothers and sisters ‘round the hearth at the beginning of the day and the end.”''Necessity's Child'', ch 37 *"Tell me what we owe our brothers, and our sisters, and all of the kompani of Bedel." -- " Truth, kindness, food, air"Necessity's Child, ch 22 Things the Bedel Say * The Bedel said, "Rules are for weak heads."Necessity's Child, ch 7 * The Bedel said, "A burden shared is a burden halved."Necessity's Child, ch 26 * The Bedel say that Fortune and Misfortune are sisters, and each must have their share.Necessity's Child, ch 34 * The Bedel said, "In kompani, all souls are equal."Dragon in Exile, ch 21 * The Bedel say that we are of use because we are the Bedel. We need do nothing else except be who we are, for we are beloved of the universe.Dragon in Exile, ch 30 * The Bedel, so say the Bedel of themselves, speak with many voices, as heedless of their song as the birds.Accepting the Lance, ch 9 "The Bedel" * "Who can know the luthia's reasons, save herself and the wind between the stars?" So said the Bedel.Accepting the Lance, ch 27 "The Bedel" * All cats were Bedel, so said the Bedel.Accepting the Lance, ch 82 "Jelaza Kazone" * The Bedel came and the Bedel went, said the Bedel, when it suited themselves and no others.Accepting the Lance, ch 83 "The Bedel" Bedel in Eleutherios Eleutherios is a short story portraying a small group of Bedel. It could perhaps be the Surebleak Kompani, long before they came to Surebleak. *Niku - (gadje name Ponner Kleug) *Fada, Niku's brother *Ezell, Niku's sister *Boiko, good with frequencies Other Bedel * Azath, luthia of the ship that comes to collect the kompani on Surebleak''Accepting the Lance'', ch 83 "The Bedel" * Eyoti, called "the Gamester", a headman of times past whose experiences are among those recorded for new headmen to Dream on and learn from''Accepting the Lance'', ch 60 "Six of Us - Jenarian Station" * Jaren, captain of the ship that comes to collect the kompani on Surebleak''Accepting the Lance'', ch 83 "The Bedel" References Category:Characters